Pope Francis says Belgian clergy abuse victims deserve more compensation

By Joshua McElwee

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Sunday victims of Catholic clergy sexual abuse in Belgium deserved more financial compensation, calling the amounts allocated to them so far "too small".

On the flight back to Rome from Belgium, where the pontiff was pressed by the country's political leaders for more concrete actions to address clergy abuse, Francis also reiterated the Catholic Church's commitment to helping survivors.

"We must take care of those who have been abused, and punish the abusers," he said.

Francis was urged in Belgium by both King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo to do more to help abuse survivors in unusually forceful language for a papal foreign trip, always a carefully choreographed event.

In a two-hour meeting with survivors on Friday, the pope was also asked specifically to look at the issue of financial compensation.

"We didn't talk about amounts as such, but we are very clear on the fact ... that what has been achieved and obtained so far is totally insufficient," said Annesophie Cardinal, one of the survivors who attended the meeting at the Vatican's embassy in Brussels.

Francis said on Sunday the amounts given to survivors, which ranged from 2,500 euros ($2,800) to 25,000 euros ($28,000), depending on the severity of the abuse, did not provide "what was needed".

Belgian clergy abuse victims have received financial compensation through a Church-established mediation body following a 2010 investigation that uncovered widespread abuse over decades.

In total, the Arbitration Centre upheld 507 claims from victims of priests, awarding a total of 3 million euros ($3.4 million), a former member of the Centre's scientific committee told the Belgian Parliament in 2016.

Francis has made addressing abuse by clergy a priority of his papacy, and created the first papal commission on the issue. He also installed a global system for Catholics to report suspicions of abuse or cover-ups by bishops.

But survivors' groups have questioned the effectiveness of the commission and also urged the pontiff to require all Catholic clergy to report suspicions of abuse to authorities.

Francis said on Sunday he had met the victims in Belgium because he believes it is "a duty" for him as pope.

"We have the responsibility to help those who have been abused, and to take care of them," he said.

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Additional reporting by Marta Fiorin; Editing by William Maclean and Helen Popper)